Haunted
by BandaidChan2
Summary: This is a repost from my old file! Shuichi is desperate enough to call out Kitazawa's spirit on an Ouija board in order to save his relationship with Yuki. However, all he ends up doing is making the spirit angry
1. Chapter 1

_This is a repost! I suddenly decided to continue this but forgot the password to my old file! Oops! Anyway, I didn't bother editing anything. I apologize if the feel of the story changes a bit after the third chapter, but I promise that it'll be the best creepy story I can deliver. Hopefully!_

_BandaidChan_

Hiro pushed a lock of hair behind his ear, then let his fingers trail through it long strands before slowly placing them back onto the pointer. Beside him Suguru fidgeted with his clothing, not even daring to touch the thing. The guitarists' eyes traveled all around the small circle of his band. Directly across from him, Shuichi's eyes shone in the candlelight, giving him a look of bloodthirsty madness.

Per usual, Shuichi was taking this small event to the highest levels of extreme. He was dressed as a Gypsy with a lace bandana tied around his head and large jewel necklaces draping from his neck.

"Shuichi," Hiro said suddenly, causing the nervous keyboardist beside him to jump. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"Nonsense!" Shuichi easily brushed off, moving his head to stare down at the Ouija board. It wasn't anything fancy, though moderately more expensive than one sold in a toy store. It was made from a polished wood, with deep black carvings that spelt out the alphabet in the center. Above the letters were too small words, 'yes' and 'no'. In the top left hand corner it read 'Hello' and on the bottom right hand corner it said 'Goodbye.' It was all in English.

"Hiroshi is right." Suguru tried, moving his large hazel eyes to each individual melting candle that created a circle around them. "I've heard about these things…they're not something we should be messing with."

"Those are just ghost stories." Shuichi said calmly. "You aren't really scared of a few childish stories, are you?"

"If they're just stories then why bother even doing this!"

"Calm down, you're going to get the spirits angry." Hiro cut in dully, staring past the two bickering rock stars, which instantly froze up. After a moment, Shuichi shook his head and placed his pointer and middle finger of each hand on the black planchette. It was wooden, like the board itself, but considerably lighter. It was shaped as an arrowhead with a magnifying glass center.

Suguru still refused to touch it.

"Why do I even have to be here?" he pleaded, his voice taking an edge of complaint.

As if it wasn't obvious, Shuichi took his hands away from the objects that sat in the middle of their small circle, and began to wave them around. "Because, it's all English! The letters, and the ghost we're trying to contact."

"And where do I come in?" asked the 16-year-old loudly.

"You know English."

"So does Hiroshi!"

A small sweat drop formed on Hiro's brow.

"You were a good student!" Suguru cried, "How could you have forgotten an entire language?"

"Hey," Hiro sighed. "I've been hanging around with Shuichi too much. It's scientifically proven that his stupidity is contagious!"

"Hey!" Shuichi huffed in his own defense. "If my stupidity is contagious, how come other peoples stupidity isn't?"

"Because you're special."

Pleased, the singer smiled. "That's what I've been told! Anyways, could we please start already? Yuki's going to be home soon, and the candles are melting. " He lifted his eyes to the third member of the band. "Please, do this for me. I need to get through to Kitazawa."

Sympathetically, Hiro glanced at his friend. "What are you going to tell him?"

The pink haired boy shook his head while dropping it slightly. "I'm going to tell him to leave Yuki alone. It's the only way…"

There was a hush among the three, where Shuichi silently watched the reflection of flickering lights glimmer on the polished wooden surface of the board, and Hiro's eyes landed on Suguru's.

Both band mates knew that Shuichi and Yuki had been going through a rough patch lately, more so that usual. Shuichi would come to work subdued and depressed, and when asked, he would simply say, "I'm fine."

One day, however, Shuichi stormed into work in a rage. He was yelling at the workers about the way the new album was turning out. He took one nervous man by the shirt, glaring venomously, and then telling the worker that it was his fault entirely. Just before anyone could quell the boy, he stormed through the room, ripping things off of their shelves and pushing things over. Hiro, Suguru, K, and Sakano tried to subdue and calm him down, but all they received were earfuls of swears.

The singer wouldn't stop until Tohma entered the room. The blonde simply stood in the doorway, wearing Shuichi down with his eyes. When stilled, everyone noticed the large bruise on Shuichi's cheek, just below his left eye. The room was stunned and silent. Shuichi fell to his knees sobbing. Tohma instantly went to the boy, wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

"_It's all his fault!" _Shuichi wailed.

"_Whose fault?" _Tohma asked calmly.

"_I can't compete with a dead guy. It's all Kitazawa's fault."_

Shuichi fell to pieces, leaning into Tohma's embrace. The companies president acted quickly, helping the broken boy to his feet and guiding him out of the room, telling the staff that work would be canceled for today.

Though, after that incident, Shuichi seemed much happier (they suspected Tohma had something to do with that) both Hiroshi and Suguru knew that Shuichi couldn't last much longer. To Shuichi, it felt like this was his last chance.

Reluctantly, Suguru picked up a notebook and black pen that was beside his crossed legs.

The slight movement caused Shuichi to snap out of his daze. When noticing what his friend was doing, his smiled gratefully. "Thank you!"

The three got closer together, scooting their pillows into a tighter circle. Hiro and Shuichi picked the board up and placed it down on their laps, making sure that their knees were touching and that their laps were a stable enough support. They began to slowly and lightly move the pointer in a large circle.

Each one of them kept their eyes closed and concentrated on picking up Yuki Kitazawa's spirit. After a few seconds, Suguru opened his eyes and studied their surroundings. He was sweating generously, and though he was willing to help his friend, he wasn't so willing to dabble in the affairs of ghosts.

In all honestly, he didn't know much about this Yuki Kitazawa character, or what he had to do with Shuichi, Eiri, or Tohma. He recalled hearing the name several times around at family meetings, remembered Tohma hissing the name into the receiver of the phone once or twice, and he even hear Shuichi use it occasionally.

They three huddled in the center of Shuichi and Eiri's hardwood living room floor. The lights had been turned off and the curtains drawn to ensure more darkness. They created a large circle made of pure white candles around them, the only light source they had.

The keyboardist jumped when he heard Shuichi gasp beside him. Instantly his eyes were focused on the moving pointer. It wasn't moving much, just slowly sliding into the center of the board. A quick study of Hiro and Shuichi's face told Suguru that neither of them was moving it.

"Is this Yuki Kitazawa?" Shuichi stammered, looking intently at the board.

The pointer slid across the board. _'Hello' _

_Again, Shuichi raised his voice and questioned the air. "Yuki Kitazawa?"_

The pointer trembled beneath their fingers before moving to the _'yes'_.

A chill ran down Shuichi's spine. Finally, he was talking to the man who started it all. He hadn't actually thought he was going to make contact. This was it. Emotions welled up in his body, threatening to make him explode. He didn't know what to say.

"Why did you do that to Yuki?" Shuichi whispered.

They all waited, terrified out of their wits, as the black pointed began to hover over each letter.

_B-E-C-A-U-S-E I L-O-V-E E-I-R-I_

Suguru jotted down each letter while it was being magnified. When the pointer stopped moving, Suguru looked into the expectant eyes of his band. "He said, because I love Eiri." The confession startled everyone. Hiro was rooted to his spot. Normally, he kept a level head, processing the situation calmly. But this, this was the real deal. They were contacting a dead man, a hated man. For Shuichi, the confession sparked misguided anger.

"Some way to show it! Screw off! He doesn't need you!" The singer shouted, eyes brimming with tears. The reason why things were falling apart was because this jackass wouldn't let well enough alone. He wouldn't stand to lose to a dead man.

The planchette picked up speed as it began to, once again, hover over the letters. It was moving quickly, and had not Hiro been saying the letters out loud (in a slightly accented voice) Suguru never would've gotten it all written down.

_Y-O-U A-R-E A-N I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-Y R-U-D-E B-O-Y_

The youngest boy looked down at the writing with wide eyes. It wasn't good to get a spirit angry.

"He says you're rude, Shuichi. Incredibly rude."

Uncaring, Shuichi glared at the board resting half on his lap. "He doesn't need you." He said again. "He has me."

Immediately the pointer began to move around the board again. Hiro and Shuichi felt the tug on their fingers when they weren't moving fast enough.

_I C-A-N F-I-X T-H-A-T _

_There was a chill in the air now, but regardless the sweat on Suguru's brow increased tenfold. "Shuichi," he whispered faintly. "Stop now. Stop making him mad. This is dangerous. Say goodbye."_

"What did he say?" Hiro asked quietly, staring at the notebook clutched in Suguru's sweaty hand.

"He said he could fix it."

"Fix what?" Shuichi looked over to Suguru, eyes expectant and scared. He jumped when the pointer started to slide across the Ouija board again. The question had been directed towards Suguru.

Hiro began to say the letters out loud again, which was a big help to Suguru.

_Y-O-U B-E-I-N-G T-H-E-R-E F-O-R E-I-R-I _

_Suguru read the script quietly, unsure how to say it in his own words. When he was about to tell Shuichi to stop once more, the pointer began to move again, this time with out a question to answer._

I C-A-N T-A-K-E Y-O-U-R P-L-A-C-E L-I-K-E Y-O-U T-O-O-K M-I-N-E

Tears began to steak down Suguru's eyes, being illuminated by the flickering candles. He was terrified. "Please stop now, Shuichi!"

"What did he say?" Shuichi asked quietly, glaring at the pointer as if daring it to move.

"He said he could take your place like you took his."

"Leave Yuki alone!" Shuichi screamed to the empty space between himself and Hiro. Said man jumped, causing the pointed to jump beneath their fingers. Shuichi removed his fingers out of instinct. The planchette jerked out of Hiro's grip violently with out Shuichi to stop it.

Suguru was shaking, breathing heavily, and pale as a ghost. He was already nervous about using an Ouija board, having heard all the horror stories and seen all the movies. He knew good things never came out of it. Beside him, Hiro sat straight at a board, eyes wide, scared stiff all too literally.

All three of them were staring at each other now, sweating and scared. They didn't know what to do; emotions were overtaking their minds with out mercy. Anger, towards Shuichi being one of them. Why did he want to do this, why did he make them join in? Sadness for Shuichi, what if this was it? What was going to happen now? Will he be safe? Will his relationship with Yuki be stronger or weaker now?

But mostly fear. Fear was circling around them like a fog, blinding them. Slowly, Shuichi allowed his eyes to stray downward at the board, where the pointers glass center was magnifying one word.

'No.'

With a loud scream, Shuichi leapt to his feet and ran towards a light switch, sending the Ouija board and planchette to clatter to the floor. Instantaneously Suguru and Hiro huddled together while watching Shuichi's dash. He was just about to reach the switch directly beside the font door, when it began to creak open. Shuichi froze to his spot, eyes wide and pupils the size of pinpricks. The door opened more, letting in a crack of light.

All three boys were screaming as the door banged open, revealing a silhouette standing in the doorway.

Shuichi, stopped in his tracks, toppled over in a dead faint.

And no one noticed that they never said goodbye to the ghost on the Ouija board.

Please do not kill me for this sudden and new story, when I haven't even updated my other one. That one's in the works. The newest chapter is half finished, and that half is in the betta's station.

Anyways, about this fiction. I didn't have a chance to run it through with my Betta yet, but maybe later I'll make her edit it, so please excuse any mistakes! This is in the spirit of Halloween. The idea is buzzing around my head and it won't stop, so I need to get it out. Hopefully it won't intervene with Tomorrow Bring. What I really need is some handy dandy reviews to get me inspired again. (Hint hint)

I'm new at writting horror stories, I've never really done anything like this. (Unless Tomorrow Bring counts? Hehee..)

Two things before I go...  
One) I think it's awful to feel like you need to get rid of a spirit to mend your relationship. Imagine feeling that deperate to cling to the person you love most, and to keep that person safe and happy. Imagine what it would feel like...So tragic, I feel badly for Shuichi, who is at his ends wit-blaming a spirit for any problems between him and Yuki. (Yes, that bruise on his cheek was from Yuki...I'll explain more later on!)

two) I don't really know Yuki Kitazawa's character. This is like the first time I've ever used him in any of my stories, so sorry. I'm making him coniving though, and considering what he did to Yuki, I wouldn't doubt that he's evil!

three) I looked up a lot about Ouija boards during this, but I'm still sorry if some things are wrong. I read you're supposed to say goodbye always, or else the spirit may feel free to stay. You're also supposed to be polite and ask, not demand, things. Shuichi and friends did not follow this rule. Also when I was writting this I kept hearing things and got really scared!


	2. Chapter 2

Yuki peered down at his lover, hiding something akin to anxiety in his golden eyes. Of course, when he walked in just in time to watch Shuichi topple over, he hadn't had enough time to mask his concern. With the help of Hiro and Suguru, he managed to stay calm enough to make sure his young lover was still alive.

After getting the pink haired moron to bed, Yuki turned his vicious questions to the rest of Bad Luck. Hiro managed to tell Yuki that Shuichi had some hair brained idea to talk to the dead, before getting scared enough to call it all off. He said, by the time either of them were brave enough to get up, Yuki had walked in, and from there Yuki knew the story.

But as he watched the kid, Suguru, rip out a piece of paper from the notebook he was clutching and shove it into his pants pocket, Yuki couldn't help but think that they weren't telling him something.

After assisting the writer with cleaning the mess they made (getting the dried wax off of the hardwood floor was a tough feat, but not impossible) they quickly excused themselves and went home, or somewhere. Yuki never did care enough to listen to their alibis.

It was an hour later, and so far, Shuichi made no sign of awaking for the night. The blonde man settled himself in for a long night, and he somehow knew that he wouldn't be able to reach sleep tonight.

His thoughts strayed to many individual things, including his behavior towards Shuichi. Despite the act he made, Yuki watched his lover slowly drive himself insane. He noticed when Shuichi was uncharacteristically lethargic and subdued, when he was overly happy to make up for it, and a particular day that Shuichi hadn't been Shuichi at all.

"_Yuki." Shuichi said from the doorway, peering manically at him through the darkness of the hallway. The author felt eyes on him, a heated glare burning at his shoulder. Begrudgingly he turned from his laptop to face the boy, casting a glare of his own. It was almost time for Shuichi to run out late for work._

"_What?" he snapped, feeling irritated that Shuichi made him respond. By now, the kid should've known that a simple glare was the only reply he was ever willing to give._

"_It's okay," the singer told him coldly. "I know it's not your fault. It wasn't you, _Yuki."  
_  
In a moment of confusion, and out of habit, Yuki studied the others features. His hard eyes froze when the glowing bruise began to show up under Shuichi's eye. In a flash it came to him, the events of the previous night. He shuddered, and forced the vivid memories to the back of his mind. He would reminisce later, when he was alone._

"_I love you Yuki." _

"_You're fucked up, Shuichi. You should probably go now." Because he really didn't want to be pressed under the kids angry eyes right now. _

_A harsh laughter tore through Shuichi's tightly sealed lips. "I'm fucked up." He repeated, laughed again, and then turned around._

_Only after the door slammed, did Yuki turn back to his work._

The night Yuki hit Shuichi wasn't the fondest time. He had been drinking too much, and Shuichi was pressing hard for sexual attention. Yuki, although needing his lover in that certain way at the time, just couldn't. His deadline was coming, his book wasn't finished, and he needed to renew his contract the next day. It was too much for his sleep-deprived mind.

When the kid started to whine and tell the author that he was lonely, and feeling depressed and _needed_ Yuki right now, Yuki lost it. He wasn't sure how his fist made perfect contact with Shuichi's face considering the position they were in. He was gripping the fridge handle firmly, attempting to grab another Budweiser at the time, and Shuichi was hugging him from behind, trying to pull him forcefully towards the bedroom.

When it happened, it was like a sonic boom. Shuichi flew back with a cry, cradling his throbbing cheek. The author pressed his back against the cold refrigerator. He was taking deep breaths like the wind had been knocked out of him, or that he had exerted all of his strength into that single strike. As he watched Shuichi cry, his artistic mind ran wild with metaphors and description to how broken the singer looked then.

How many times had he written about the situation? So many classic stories about an abused woman who was just so in love with her drunken partner that she would put up with the abuse. The books flew off of the shelf, and his public reviews said he was a master of realistic situations and reactions. So many praises, that really didn't do anything to calm his thundering heart. Because, in the very situation he put his characters in, he didn't know how to react to.

But from his literature, he knew what Shuichi would probably do: put on a smile and pretend that it didn't happen, the abused partner who was just so in love with Yuki that he would put up with the abuse just to stay by his side.

Yuki fled in that moment, leaving his sobbing lover to deal with the shock and pain alone. Pride, being his tragic flaw, blocked him from aiding Shuichi. He just didn't know what to do.

Shuichi stirred beside the half asleep author. It wasn't much, but the movement was enough to wake Yuki from his slumber. He didn't really realize he had fallen asleep, but somehow he knew he had. He turned to his side, watching from his spot on the bed as Shuichi's eyes fluttered open.

"Yuki?" he whispered fearfully.

"I'm here," he said softly, with a voice ridden with sleep.

"Sorry, Yuki" Shuichi mumbled. He too turned to his side. Now they were both looking into each other's half lidded eyes. Shuichi's were slowly closing. The fainting spell was letting up, and real weariness settling in its place.

"No." The blond forced out, which caused the word to sound harsh. Shuichi visibly winced. "I'm sorry." He clarified. He didn't know if he was talking about sounding rude, or all the other things he's done to Shuichi. He wasn't sure how Shuichi took it, either.

The sleepy singer with his eyes closed lightly, smiled blissfully. However the message was received, it was received well. "Thank you." He mumbled, and then he was sleeping.

Yuki felt his mind ease up. A weight was lifted from his shoulders, and for the first time in a long while, he allowed himself a small smile to glow in the dark.

Finally, he felt real sleep tugging at his mind.

As the man slowly drifted into a well-deserved slumber, he felt something tugging at the back of his head and in the pit of his stomach. He was too far-gone to be bothered by it, but it felt strange, almost familiar. It was like trying to recall a memory of the past, something that happened ages ago, and the feeling at that particular moment that wasn't clear enough even then to recall—but it just kept tugging at you, until you distracted yourself with something new.

That night, Yuki fell asleep beside Shuichi for the first time in months, content. Tomorrow he would distract himself from that familiar presence that belonged to neither himself nor his young lover.

Short chapter, I know, even for myself. But It's bed time, and I just wanted to get something posted.  
Anywho, strange familiar presence? I wonder... Please review, it helps in times of creative block!


	3. Chapter 3

Yuki woke alone. The bed was empty, not even the imprint of his lover beside him was left. Through out the house silence reigned, and only small signs that Shuichi had been through there remained. A wet towel lying limply on the bathroom floor, his half eaten breakfast still on the table, and the TV still on-the music channel, no less.

The author sat up rigidly, feeling unreasonably sore despite his restoring night. He got up slowly as if being careful of a broken limb. Thinking to himself that he must be getting older, Yuki lumbered to the bathroom with grumbles and winces. He closed the door behind him; not liking the loud _clunk _signaling the door fell into place.

There he stood, looking at the almost serene setting of his bathroom in the morning. There was water still in puddle around the drain, and the shower curtain was hanging heavy. The man took a step into the room, still looking around. Everything, the whole bathroom was so boringly the same as before. Perhaps the only difference would be the clothes littering the ground, Shuichi's outfit from the day before. The clothes lying on the floor were never the same and always in different spots.

Yet, something felt very out of place.

Yuki quickly made his way to the tub, and began to run the water for his morning shower. There was a morning chill in the air, causing him to shiver when he stripped his shirt and threw it beside Shuichi's towel. The hot water spouting from the tap was steaming.

Not willing to feel the cold air any longer than he needed to, he freed himself from the remaining clothing. He moved the shower curtain into place before stepping into the pouring water.

It was scalding, yet Yuki didn't shy away from the touch. The steam billowed around, and eventually Yuki couldn't even see his reddened flesh. He sighed while putting his head beneath the running water, letting it burn his tender neck and run down his pale face.

Just when he straightened his stance and prepared to turn the water to a more tolerable temperature, something distinctly cold brushed his manhood. A faint touch, that lasted only a second, but the icy presence lingered. And the touch was so very familiar, that Yuki was reduced to unexplained tears thirty seconds within the touch.

With out thinking to wash his hair, Yuki shut off the water and leaped from the tub. Warm tears that felt cool on his heated face continued to fall no matter how hard he tried to stop them. He walked briskly to his shirt and the rest of his strewn clothing. When he bent to pick up the shirt, Yuki grabbed Shuichi's towel instead, and wrapped it around his waist.

He felt quelled for the moment, calm enough to stop his tears and pick up his clothing. The steam billowed out of the bathroom as soon as he opened the door, but disappeared quickly. Yuki, still walking quickly, went to his bedroom, and crawled in bed.

As he calmed and collected his nerves, Yuki tried to assess why that single wisp of cold air freaked him out so badly. It might've been the fact that the touch had a ring of familiarity, or that that same familiar presence seemed to be at the back of his mind since he watched Shuichi faint the night before, it all caused him to feel violated.

Whatever the cause, now that he had a clear head, he realized how irrational his response was, and decided that he wasn't going to let _that _disrupt a decent day of work.

Even so, Yuki waited a half an hour before moving into his study, still only clad with a towel around his waist.

Hours later Shuichi was finally home, which somehow made Yuki feel a little bit safer. The writing he had done was shaky, empty almost, and completely not up to his potential. The pink haired boy sang his greeting to Yuki, as he threw the door open, only be to instantly token back with a bloody nose.

"Yu-Yuki!" He squealed, not bothering to stop the flowing blood from his nose, or drool from his lips. "You're not dressed!"

Slyly the boy slinked closer to the author, swiftly wiping the blood away with the back of his hand. "Were you waiting for me?"

The author didn't bother to move his eyes away from the laptop. Not even as Shuichi straddled him, and whispered into his ear, "I missed you too." The singer's warmth was welcomed, and the violation he felt before was still freezing his core.

He let Shuichi guide him to the bedroom, where he gladly allowed Shuichi to reclaim him, even if the boy didn't realize someone else had touched his property.

Sorry it's so abnormally short, even for my work. You may think of this as a "Prolouge to the plot" or whatever you want to call it. This isn't very Christmas-y, eh? Anyways, I kind of forgot where I was going with this story, and I haven't talked to my Beta in such a very, very long time! Lizzie! Lizze, my darling, I miss you! Please, please come back to me! My AIM isn't working right, wah! Woe is my, please be still my emo heart! I MISS YOOOU.

Ahem, anyways...

Please review with any suggestions! (Ps. I just seen a story with two little, poorly written chapters that had a lot of reviews, and I'm bitter. Make this Scrooge happy, please.)


	4. Chapter 4

Eiri rolled over, his breath escaping him as he did. Beside him, Shuichi hummed in contentment. His eyes were closed, a peaceful smile on his face, and the sweat still cooling on his skin. Eiri watched his lover, taking note of the features that he had already studied so intently. When Shuichi's bright eyes fluttered open, Eiri casually slid his gaze away as though he hadn't been looking in the first place.

"You know, Yuki... I wouldn't mind being welcomed home like that every day..." Shuichi giggled, propping his head on his elbow and facing the blonde. Eiri didn't dare dignify that with a reply, lest Shuichi figure out how to twist his words into some outlandish declaration of love. Besides, he didn't want to think about how his gut had been twisting all day, the reason why he hadn't stopped Shuichi's advances.

Eiri sat up, threw his legs over the side of the bed, and proceeded to leave the room. Shuichi was about to protest, but he got distracted watching Eiri walk away in all his naked glory. The singer smiled to himself, turning to lie on his back again. Although it was too short of a time span to really tell, it seemed that things were settling again. Since telling that lousy spirit to piss off, he had found himself in a loving tangle with Eiri twice.

Gingerly, Shuichi pressed his fingertips against his cheek. The pain was gone, the mark was gone, but the memory still lingered. Shuichi vowed to himself that he and Eiri would never get so bad again. This was the start of something great!

With that resolution in his head, Shuichi leapt from the bed, dragging the comforter with him. He found Eiri in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. He had a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. An ashtray was beside him. When he noticed the singer, draped in his expensive blanket, slink into the room Eiri stubbed out his smoke. Shuichi went to him slowly, lifting his arms and the blanket to wrap the novelist in a hug. Slowly, softly, irritatingly gentle, Shuichi began to litter Eiri's chest and neck with kisses.

Hours later found Shuichi sitting alone in the living room. After another bout in bed, Eiri locked himself in his office. He had muttered something about having to redo everything, but Shuichi barely paid attention to it and waved Eiri off with a lazy hand. It seemed the only thing that ever truly sated the hyper-active young man was an afternoon filled with sex.

Shuichi slumped halfway off of the couch with a huff. Although his band was becoming more successful, the singer was often bored out of his skull. He dramatically fell to the floor in a heap.

Everything looked different from this angle, Shuichi noticed. Looking at the ceiling got old fast. When he glanced under the couch, his breath caught in his throat. The Ouija board sat innocently, right in front of his face.

Shuichi hadn't really spared a thought for the thing, at most assuming Eiri had thrown it out. Slowly he sat up, and pulled the board out with his fingertips.

Everything in his body suddenly chilled. The planchette was magnifying the word 'hello'. Although his English was limited, he knew enough to know what the word meant. A shudder ran down his spine. 'That's creepy...' he thought to himself. It of course had to be a coincidence. Shuichi's hand was slowly inching towards the pointer, seemingly without a thought. His fingertips were only milometers from touching it...

...when his cellphone went off from his pocket. Shuichi squealed in fright, throwing himself away from the ominous board. Although his entire body was still trembling, he managed to pull out his mobile.

"H-Hello?" He gasped into the receiver, while kicking the Ouija board back under the couch.

"Shuichi?" Hiro inquired from the other end. Hearing the breathless quality to Shuichi's voice, he added, "err, did I interrupt something?"

Shuichi glanced to where the board had been. "No, no... I just found that Ouija board-"

"Do not mess with it, Shuichi!" Hiro scolded. "It's no good... you know what happened the other night..."

Shuichi giggled suddenly, forgetting his near-heart attack. "But it worked! Things have been a lot better, really!"

Hiro, much to his credit, listened to Shuichi ramble. When the singer paused for a breath, Hiro quickly said what he had to. It seemed that he was also going crazy with boredom, and was calling to see if Shuichi wanted to do something. They made plans to meet up at the bar, and then hung up.

Shuichi jotted down a note for Eiri, and then dashed out the door. Despite feeling loads better, he was still freaked out. It would be good to get out of the house.

Hours later, Eiri finally left his office. He made his way back to the kitchen where he had abandoned his cigarette earlier. He re-lit it, and then fished a beer from the fridge.

The house was eerily quiet. He surveyed the dark room, feeling the hair on the back of his neck begin to rise. The air felt cooler, and suddenly he felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable as though something were pressing down on him. He knew he was being irrational as he walked briskly into the living area. He just had to get away. Eiri spotted a piece of paper placed on the coffee table, but didn't need to read it to know what it said. It was obvious from the silence that Shuichi wasn't home. Everything else was irrelevant.

Standing at the brink of the room, Eiri then spotted the Ouija board lying on the floor. The pointer had been thrown to the window. Eiri rolled his eyes, picturing Shuichi flipping out and throwing it. Honestly, if the boy had no nerve for those sorts of things, he shouldn't be playing with them...

He nearly jumped out of his skin when there was a dull thud against the front door. The door handle shook. Eiri stopped breathing. The door handle continued to shake, just as the novelist began to scold himself for his over active emotions. Eiri didn't know what was wrong with him today, first finding himself crying over a breeze in the shower, and now, frozen like a statue in fear because the brat had lost his house keys?

Annoyed more with himself than with Shuichi, Eiri strode to the door, grasped the handle, and flung it open. He expected to see Shuichi's expression, stupid and surprised. He did not expect to see nothing at all. Empty space. Cold air seeped into the apartment, but Eiri was already half way down the hallway.

He didn't care that he left the door wide open, or that his beer can was still clutched tightly in his one hand.

Shuichi ran one hand through his hair as the other hand fished in his pocket for his keys. Despite going to a karaoke bar, the singer was not stumbling drunk. At the beginning of the night he and Hiro each consumed enough to get half-cut, but after singing a few songs together, the two were recognized. Running from fans sobered one up quickly.

Shuichi loved his career, loved the people who enjoyed his music, but he was starting to understand the drawbacks. He wondered if he and Hiro would ever be able to sing karaoke without being harassed to sign autographs and take pictures until they were forced to dash, as he strolled up to the apartment. He slid his key into the lock and forced the deadbolt back with a heavy clink of metal. The door opened without him turning the handle, but Shuichi didn't pay much attention to it as he walked in, sliding his keys back into his pocket.

It was late, so Shuichi knew better than to call out to Yuki. He whispered his greeting to the silence.

"Welcome home, Shuichi." He heard Yuki say from his study. The voice was mumbled, it was obvious the author didn't mean to say it loud enough for Shuichi to hear. The singer knew better than to run into the man's office full of exuberance, but that didn't mean he could stop his smile from stretching his face, bright enough to light the room. He crept down the hallway, noting that the study's light pooled from under the door and lit the hall, and slipped into the bedroom he shared with Yuki. After changing into his night clothes and slipping between the sheets it was a quick decent into sleep.

Eiri had left without enough sense to even grab his shoes, let alone keys or his wallet. He spent an hour cooling his head while walking down the streets, ignoring strange looks he got from passers-by. If people recognized him, they knew better than to question him. Eiri figured people knew authors were a bit off, anyway. Normally he wouldn't choose to walk where everything was so loud and populated, but the thought of being alone in a dimly-lit park wasn't appealing.

He walked enough to rationalize what happened to him in the apartment. He was stressed, he was working too hard. He was used to Shuichi's presence. The apartment was eerie at night. Shuichi's stupid Ouija board gimmick influenced his thoughts. Whatever it was, it wasn't paranormal activity. Only dolts (like that brat singer) believed in shit like that.

When he approached the door to his apartment, he knew better than to think anything of the door being closed. He knew Shuichi would be home by then. He walked through the door quickly, thankful that the brat didn't lock it. Eiri did not spare a glance into the spacious rooms, did not bother locking the door behind him. He slipped down the dark hallway, and noting briefly that he had enough sense to at least turn off the light in his study, he dashed into the bedroom. His heart was hammering, but once he seen Shuichi sleeping soundly on the bed, he breathed easier.

The next morning, Shuichi wasn't surprised to find that he was tired as all hell. He yawned widely, stretched his arms and legs, and then turned to the side to snuggle his lover. Yuki, per usual in the mornings, was face down on the pillow, blonde hair tousled and sticking on end, earring gleaming slightly in the morning light. And per usual to each morning, Shuichi's heart fluttered just breathing the same air as this man. He was about to fall asleep again when the door suddenly burst open, slamming hard against the wall.

Yuki jumped into a have crouching position, startled but not completely awake. Shuichi hid under the covers, not willing to see his maniac American manager pointing a gun at him this early.

"You're late, Shu-chan!" K bellowed. He jumped over Yuki, his feet landing on either side of the annoyed singer. Although Shuichi was nineteen and at a healthy weight, K had no trouble picking him up and throwing him over one shoulder.

"Damn it, K!" Shuichi struggled, "put me down!" After beating his fists against the oaf's back for a moment Shuichi realized he was still too tired to fight any more. He closed his eyes and sighed, resigning himself to being bodily carried to NG without even brushing his teeth.

"Wait!" Eiri gasped, startling not only himself but also Shuichi and K. The author could only comprehend so early and so quickly was that the door slamming open put his mind in a panic and that he was going to be left alone again. But when he certainly didn't mean to voice his fear, and not with that half choked tone of desperation that crept from his throat. K and Shuichi were still looking at him, waiting, curious.

"err, don't be late tonight…" he mumbled. Shuichi gleamed from over K's shoulder.

K had thrown Shuichi in the backseat of a black van. Hiro took in his appearance, the still sleepy face, pyjamas, hair not even brushed. The guitarist couldn't help but snicker, nudging Shuichi in the ribs with his elbow. "Yuki-san didn't let you get any sleep, did he? That dog!"

Shuichi batted his elbow away irritably. "Don't be jealous!" He yawned widely. Sometimes he didn't understand how Hiro could maintain such a jovial mood, especially in the mornings. The guitarist was out just as late as Shuichi was last night, and although he wasn't going to correct Hiro, Shuichi knew he did not get laid the night before. It was a mystery to him how Hiro could not even be phased, while Shuichi could barely keep his eyes open.

Beside him Suguru snorted, pointedly lifting the book he was reading in front of his face. He was clearly uncomfortable talking about anything remotely sexual. Hiro smiled happy, enjoying the synthesizer's innocence. He snaked one arm around the kids' shoulders, pulled him into a headlock and began to press his knuckles into his scalp. Suguru squeaked, and accidentally threw the book at the back of K's head.

K, annoyed, swerved the van into oncoming traffic as he turned around to shout at the musicians. Sakano, being the only one watching the road, grabbed the wheel and turned it sharply, bringing the van back in their proper lane.

As they obnoxious troop made their way further from Yuki and the apartment, Shuichi's energy began to return to him. Something physically lifted from his shoulders amidst all the chaos. When the van pulled in front of NG Shuichi was the first one out, the skip back in his step. The photographers that had started to flock the entrance of the building wasted no time in snapping the singer's picture, his messy hair and night clothes.

I suppose that is where I will end this chapter; otherwise it would be dragged out a little longer. What I hope people note is Shuichi's fluctuation energy level, as I intend to work with that a bit more in the future.


End file.
